White stallion; national colors: red, yellow, green.
Title | "Le Ditanye" (Anthem of Victory) |
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Lyric/music | Thomas SANKARA |
Date of Independence | 5 August 1960 (from France) |
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National holiday | Republic Day, 11 December (1958); note - commemorates the day that Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French Community |
Legal system | civil law based on the French model and customary law; in mid-2019, the National Assembly amended the penal code |
International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
Constitution | |
History | Several previous; latest approved by referendum 2 June 1991, adopted 11 June 1991, temporarily suspended late October to mid-November 2014; initial draft of a new constitution to usher in the new republic was completed in January 2017 and a final draft was submitted to the government in December 2017; a constitutional referendum originally scheduled for adoption in March 2019 was postponed; on 1 March 2022 a transition charter was adopted, allowing military authorities to rule for three years and barring the transitional president from being an electoral candidate after the transition |
Amendments | Proposed by the president, by a majority of National Assembly membership, or by petition of at least 30,000 eligible voters submitted to the Assembly; passage requires at least three-fourths majority vote in the Assembly; failure to meet that threshold requires majority voter approval in a referendum; constitutional provisions on the form of government, the multiparty system, and national sovereignty cannot be amended; amended several times |
Citizenship | |
Citizenship by birth | no |
Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a citizen of Burkina Faso |
Dual citizenship recognized | yes |
Residency requirement for naturalization | 10 years |
Executive Branch | |
Chief of state | Transitional President Capt. Ibrahim TRAORE (since 30 September 2022) |
Head of government | Prime Minister Joachim KYLEM DE TAMBELA (since 21 October 2022) |
Cabinet | prior to the 2022 coups and adhoc suspension of laws and constitutional provisions, Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister |
Elections/appointments | prior to the 2022 coups and adhoc suspension of laws and constitutional provisions, president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); last held on 22 November 2020 (next were to be held by July 2024, but may be delayed by the transitional government due to security concerns); prime minister appointed by the president with consent of the National Assembly |
Election results | 2020: Roch Marc Christian KABORE reelected president in first round; percent of vote - Roch Marc Christian KABORE (MPP) 57.9%, Eddie KOMBOIGO (CDP) 15.5%, Zephirin DIABRE (UPC) 12.5%, other 14.1% 2015: Roch Marc Christian KABORE elected president in first round; percent of vote - Roch Marc Christian KABORE (MPP) 53.5%, Zephirin DIABRE (UPC) 29.6%, Tahirou BARRY (PAREN) 3.1%, Benewende Stanislas SANKARA (UNIR-MS) 2.8%, other 10.9% |
Legislative branch | |
Description | Prior to the 2022 coups and ad hoc suspension of laws and constitutional provisions, unicameral National Assembly (127 seats; 111 members directly elected in 13 multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote and 26 members elected in a nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms); 71-member Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT) appointed by the military junta in 2022 indefinitely replaced the National Assembly |
Elections | Last held on 22 November 2020 (next were to be held by July 2024 but may be delayed by the transitional government due to security concerns) |
Election results | Percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition as of March 2024 - men 59, women 12, percentage women 16.9% |
Judicial branch | |
Highest court(s) | Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation (consists of NA judges); Council of State (consists of NA judges); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel (consists of the council president and 9 members) |
Judge selection and term of office | Supreme Court judge appointments mostly controlled by the president of Burkina Faso; judges have no term limits; Council of State judge appointment and tenure NA; Constitutional Council judges appointed by the president of Burkina Faso upon the proposal of the minister of justice and the president of the National Assembly; judges appointed for 9-year terms with one-third of membership renewed every 3 years |
Subordinate courts | Appeals Court; High Court; first instance tribunals; district courts; specialized courts relating to issues of labor, children, and juveniles; village (customary) courts |
Diplomatic representation in the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Edouard BOUDA (since 1 February 2024) |
Chancery | 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
Telephone | [1] (202) 332-5577 |
FAX | [1] (202) 667-1882 |
Email address and website | [email protected] https://burkina-usa.org/ |
Diplomatic representation from the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Eric WHITAKER (since January 2024) |
Embassy | Secteur 15, Ouaga 2000, Avenue Sembene Ousmane, Rue 15.873, Ouagadougou |
Mailing address | AmEmbassy Ouagadougou, Department of State, 2440 Ouagadougou Place, Washington, DC 20521-2440 |
Telephone | (226) 25-49-53-00 |
FAX | (226) 25-49-56-23 |
Email address and website | [email protected] https://bf.usembassy.gov/ |
National heritage | |
Total World Heritage Sites | 3 (2 cultural, 1 natural) |
Selected World Heritage Site locales | Ruins of Loropéni (c); Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites (c); W-Arly-Pendjari Complex (n) |
Want to know more about Burkina Faso? Check all different factbooks for Burkina Faso below.